In this project, the technology for an innovative underwater vehicle with the capability of complex real-time sea surveys will be established. The modular design of the platform includes a radon sensor for the detection and monitoring of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) sources, UW-video camera, multiparameter probe (CTD, pH, oxygen, nutrients and others), and subsystems for autonomous navigation and communication. The system will be tested and compared with conventional measurements at SGD sites in the Eckernfoerde Bay (Germany), the Horsens Estuary (Denmark) and offshore southern Finland. Integrated hydrological modelling and additional permanent monitoring will allow investigating the importance of SGD for nutrient and pollutant fluxes to the Baltic Sea.

Funded by the BONUS Baltic Sea research and development programme, and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany.